6/22/10

G20 protesters try to take over downtown property

Group occupies Esso gas station for 10 minutes


The group Sense of Sensibilty marches down Sherbourne St. on June 21, 2010, in protest of the G20.

The group Sense of Sensibilty marches down Sherbourne St. on June 21, 2010, in protest of the G20.

DAVID COOPER/TORONTO STAR

Jayme Poisson

They were the first out of the gate, the first to occupy an Esso, and the first to disperse. Welcome to protesting G20-style.

About 100 protesters briefly occupied an Esso gas station and convenience store at Dundas and Church Sts. Monday afternoon in the first major protest of the G20 summit.

Some came with bandanas covering their faces. Others carried signs that read “Fake lake or human rights.” Most had a legal aid phone number scribbled across their forearms in case of arrest.

The main organizers, members of a Guelph-based anti-poverty group called Sense of Security, had vowed to “take a piece of property” in Toronto’s downtown core in an attempt to bring attention to lack of housing for the poor.

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Traffic into Toronto via the 427 and Gardiner has been extremely light on Monday and Tuesday. Guess everyone except these fine folks from Guelph are staying away. Police presence in the security zone is extremely heavy. But North of King St. everything is "normal". BTW, Queen's Park, the official protest site for G20 shows very little activity at this point. Peacenik